


Go Big or Go Extinct

by DoctorpooandtheTURDIS



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, F/M, Giant Robots, Giant Robots Versus Giant Monsters, Jaegers (Pacific Rim)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27750232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorpooandtheTURDIS/pseuds/DoctorpooandtheTURDIS
Summary: The world we are familiar with is not the only one the Mind Flayer has attempted to conquer. Its done so countless times before, all attempts meeting with some degree of failure or success. On one of the alternates of infinity, the people of Earth, instead of placing their hopes on one girl with telekinetic powers, hedge their bets on a different solution.Giant. Effing. Robots.
Relationships: Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue: Paladin Fury

**Author's Note:**

> God, I should NOT be starting another AU so soon, but these ideas, they just teem from my head.

In the mid 1970s, something that no one could have imagine happened. As a species, we thought our destruction would come from ourselves, or a natural disaster, or some other act of God that we couldn’t have prepared for or know was coming.

Our destruction came not from Earth, no, but from across the inky black void of eternity. From another world, identical to ours, but twisted and corrupted. Dead and wrong in every way conceivable to the human mind, and then some.

Ours was not the first Earth to be consumed and it surely wasn’t to be the last. Whatever was on the other side had accomplished the feat innumerable times before, and it would keep moving, on and on until there were no more worlds for it to take and it starved itself to death.

Deep underneath the surface of the Earth, the fissure had split open. The Breach, a portal between the living Earth and the dark reflection on the other side. Through that breach came the Intruder. A titanic creature larger than any building, whose body was composed of floating motes of shadow, twisting and moving through the air like a storm.

The Intruder had made landfall in California first. The military threw everything they could at it. Over three days, millions of deaths, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in ordnance later, the Intruder was brought down. The people of the world mourned but moved on.

Until it happened again. A second Intrusion, larger and stronger than the first, hit Shanghai. Then a third hit Tokyo. Then the fourth hit Delhi. Then, the world woke up.

This wasn’t going to stop.

Something far larger, far stronger, and far more powerful than us had its sights firmly set upon this little blue world of ours, and the people of Earth panicked.

Conventional weaponry was growing more and more useless by each attack. We needed something different. Something bigger. Better. Something that could fight the Enemy head-on.

With the survival of the species itself on the line, the peoples of the planet Earth came together in one last-ditch attempt to fight back. To fight the monsters, we had to build monsters of our own.

The Jaeger Program. In short, giant effing robots.

There were obstacles that had to be overcome at first, granted. The technology to create such massive machines did not exist. So, we had to create it. Then, it was discovered that an adult human brain, done with most of its development, could not bear the strain.

So, children had to be chosen. With their brains, still developing, still malleable, could bear the strain of the technology better. But one pilot was not enough. So, pairs of children, one in control of each hemisphere of the robotic brains, had to be implemented.

The people involved all had qualms. Using children as soldiers.

Until, that is, we started winning.

Stories of giant monsters falling in battle to human ingenuity and spirit spread like wildfire. Pilots, once normal children, then soldiers, became celebrities overnight.

Our war turned from a desperate struggle for survival, to action movies. Toys, cartoons, merchandise.

But we got cocky. Too cocky.

\----------

Alarms sounded, breaking through El’s haze of sleep, as the girl struggled to wake herself up.

At thirteen, she was a GEN-3 Jaeger pilot, along with her partner, Mike Wheeler. His parents had been reluctant to hand him over to the Defense Corps, but the survival of the species was on the line, and only compatible people could pilot Jaegers, so they had given in, in the end.

She was glad. Mike was a good person.

 _“Paladin Fury, report to action.”_ The management AI announced. _“New Kaiju incursion detected, codename: Demogorgon. Category three.”_

El’s eyes snapped open, staring at the screen next to her bunk, and the red blip moving across the map of the pacific ocean.

Throwing her blankets off, she scrambled to make herself ready. “Mike!” She shouted in her mad dash. “Wake up!” She shot to her feet, shaking his bunk. “We’ve got movement!”

“Oh… God…” Mike groaned, forcing his eyes open as El took down an energy shot. “Don’t those fuckers sleep?”

“It’s a Category _Three!_ ” El replied, finding her pilot jumpsuit out of her footlocker. “They’re calling it… _Demogorgon._ ”

Mike slid off his bunk, looking at her. “What time is it?”

“Two.” El answered.

“Goddammit.” Mike huffed, rubbing his eyes.

“Don’t be like that!” El berated him. “You know what happens when we kill a Kaiju!”

“Sweets and a trip to the sickbay.” Mike groaned, shaking his head.

Banging came from the steel door. “Hurry it up, you two!” One of the older personnel ordered. “Prepare to drop!”

\----------

El and Mike turned the corner, both wearing matching Circuitsuits and jackets bearing the seal of their Jaeger, Paladin Fury. The Circuitsuits were, perhaps, the most important part of piloting their Jaeger. Without the suits, the electrical impulses from the body could not be interpreted by the Jaeger’s systems, making even the most basic movement impossible.

The two stepped into the drivesuit room, the doors sealing behind them, as the technicians inside began attaching pieces of metal armor to the circuitsuits. The technicians fitted boots, gauntlets, chestplates and backplates, as well as shoulderpads to the two pilots, each individual piece coming together to form the suit of armor.

The final, and most important piece, was a long piece of technology, shaped rather like a giant metal centipiede, that fitted into a void on the back of the armor, linking to the circuitsuits. This was the mechanism that acted as the connector between the human body and the Jaeger systems, allowing for control to happen.

Mike and El were both handed matching white helmets, a cloudy orange liquid sandwiched in between two transparent layers on the inside and outside of the visor.

 _“Data on helmet.”_ The control AI monotonously droned. _“Data relay gel dispersing in circuitry suit.”_

With a quiet mechanical whirr, the liquid in the visor cleared completely, the suits underneath puffing up just slightly as the gel filled the layers underneath.

Mike and El looked at each other with matching, excited smiles. They had been through this almost a dozen times before, but it never took away from the excitement.

Even with the world constantly on the brink of destruction, they loved their job.

\-----------

The lights in Paladin Fury’s Conn Pod all activated at once, illuminating the inside for the coming pilots. The machinery on the inside was worn, old, some parts even a bit rusty, which spoke for just how old the Jaeger was.

It was a Mark III Jaeger, one of the oldest still in service. Most pilots considered it dangerously outdated, bulky, slow, and a nuclear meltdown waiting to happen. That was because they had no clue. In the right hands, you could make a Mark III dance.

Mike and El, not coincidentally, were the right hands.

The door at the back opened and the two pilots strode in, mechanical arms coming down from the ceiling.

The technicians helped the two into place, as the mechanisms clamped around their feet, onto their forearms, and onto their backs.

Two ring-remotes floated up into the pilots’ opposite hands, and the technicians cleared out, leaving the two to their duties.

A beep came from the control console situated between the two, and a voice filtered out of it.

 _“Hey, hey, dynamic duo!”_ The voice enthusiastically began. _“How’s it happening?”_

“Stevie.” El smiled, pressing the button to respond. “What’s up?”

 _“Oh, not much, not much.”_ Steve replied. _“Had a date with Mike’s sister last night.”_

Mike scowled, holding the button down himself. “I’m gonna kick your ass, Harrington.”

 _“Hey, no need to get snappy.”_ Steve disarmingly replied. _“I thought you’d be happy. Instead of some random freak, she got me instead.”_

“I almost hoped she _would_ choose the random freak.” Mike huffed in reply, shaking his head. “Why’d they let a yahoo like you be a senior tech anyway?”

Steve huffed in reply. _“Not many other career options for a retired pilot. It was this or the Wall.”_

 _“Shut up and start the damn drop.”_ A different, gruffer voice ordered Steve.

Steve coughed, and even though they couldn’t see him, they knew he was straightening in his seat, sufficiently reprimanded. _“Yes, sir, engaging drop. Marshal Hopper on deck. Securing conn pod… preparing drop.”_

The two inside the conn pod could hear the mechanisms working as the environment seal engaged.

Mike reached his hand to the console. “Ready for drop.”

El reached to the console to report her status. “Pilot Two, ready.”

Supremely loud hydraulic hissing rumbled the pod, and the two floated up slightly, held in place by the control mechanisms, as the conn pod dropped down an enormous shaft, lights flashing outside.

“Ah!” El laughed. “WOOHOO!”

The pod shook as it came to a stop, connecting to the torso of the Jaeger body. It began to spin around, rocking the two inside, as it screwed into place.

 _“Coupling confirmed, sir.”_ Steve reported.

_“Start pilot-to-pilot protocol.”_

_“Pilot-to-pilot connection sequence: Initiated.”_ Paladin Fury’s AI reported, as projections hit the wall in front of them, turning it into a massive screen showing the outside.

Gargantuan metal panels came down over the exposed mechanisms in the neck area of the Jaeger, sealing it off, as the gigantic turbine in the center of the torso fired up, spinning red-hot, then blue-hot.

Navlights activated on both sides of the Jaeger, as the mechanical titan was carried forward on a moving platform, floodlights all over the Jaeger shooting rays of light into the distance.

The skyscraper-sized bay doors of the launch facility opened, and the Jaeger was carried out into the rainstorm, lighting flashing far in the distance, as the platform moved down into the water, stopping.

“Paladin Fury,” El tapped the controls, flicking a few of the switches on the console. “Ready.”

Hopper cleared his throat. _“Alright you two, get ready.”_

 _“Neural handshake starting in fifteen seconds.”_ Steve announced, continuing the countdown.

Mike looked to El. “Hey, when you get in my head, don’t mess up the place, okay? I just got the place cleaned up.”

El chuckled slightly, shaking her head, as the two of them steadied their breathing.

Steve’s countdown hit zero, and in an instant, the two were assaulted by images.

The neural bridge, also known as the drift. It was what made piloting a Jaeger truly possible. You could get two pilots, divvy the parts of the Jaeger to each one, but they were still human. No human possessed an instinctual idea of what their partner was going to do and when they would do it, not unless they were really, really good.

That’s where the drift came in. It linked minds, making two people think as one, and efficiently enough so that they could control a Jaeger as easily as they could their own bodies. The two pilots shared everything, memories, sensations, emotions, all through the drift.

Thus, when the drift completed, there was no Mike, or El, or a Jaeger body.

There was only Paladin Fury, ready to make heads roll.

“Left hemisphere, calibrating.” El brought her left hand up.

“Right hemisphere, calibrating.” Mike brought his right hand up.

The two moved at precisely the same time, thrusting their arms out, before they brought their hands together.

Paladin Fury slammed its fist into its left palm, metal skin clanging, as water fell off the artificial titan.

 _“Alright, you two, listen up.”_ Hopper ordered. _“That Kaiju’s moving in on Anchorage. You hold the miracle mile no matter what.”_

“Hopper,” Mike responded, “There’s still a boat in that area!”

 _“Your orders are to hold the line.”_ Hopper replied through gritted teeth. _“And that’s ‘sir,’ got that?”_

Mike sighed. “Yes sir.” He removed his hand from the button.

El looked to Mike. “You know what I’m thinking.”

“I’m in your head, of course I know.”

El chuckled. “Then let’s get moving.” She placed her left leg in front first, Mike doing the same across the way, before alternating the movement with her right.

Thousands of gallons of water were disturbed, crashing against each other as Paladin Fury began to walk into the deep, dark ocean.

There are some things in this world that can’t be fought. Acts of God. You see a hurricane coming, you have to find shelter.

But when you’re in a Jaeger, suddenly, you can _fight_ that hurricane.

You can win.


	2. Paladin Fury VS Demogorgon

The Ten-Mile Line, or the Miracle Mile as it was called by personnel in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps, was the most important part of holding out against any Kaiju attack. Whatever monster, whether it was a CAT1, CAT2, or CAT3, as soon as it passed within ten miles of wherever it was headed, it became a mathematical impossibility of stopping the Kaiju from making its target.

Thus, when a Kaiju got exceedingly close to that line, the evacuation order for all civilians in the Kaiju’s path immediately went out. Both to keep the population safe from the kaiju, but also to protect against the resulting deathmatch between a Jaeger and the giant monster.

Despite that, there was still a civilian ship in the area.

It was a small thing, a fishing boat crewed by only ten at the most. The crew had heard the order to be fair enough, and they _were_ trying to find their way back to land, but whenever there was a Kaiju Incursion, atmospheric disturbance would almost always cause an enormous storm to form around the creature, shrouding its movements, and keeping the people near it disoriented.

A fate that had befallen the boat as well.

The captain of the vessel staggered into the bridge, the ship rocking as the waves threw it around like a child playing with a boat in the bath. “How far to the mainland!?”

The first mate kept the wheel steady as he looked at the radar next to him. “Seven miles! There’s an island three miles out!” The man did a double take, checking the radar again. “No, hold on, it’s two! …One!? It’s moving!?”

The captain looked up, out through the window at the front of the room, to the colossal waves being generated. Lightning flashed as something poked its head out of the water.

The captain gulped, already knowing what it was. Fishing on a boat like his had already been a dangerous profession, but those things only made it worse.

The captain breathed only a single word in terror. “Kaiju.”

It was a gigantic, hulking thing. Quadrupedal, with grey, scaly skin, and a totally featureless head with only a seam like a budded flower.

This was the Kaiju codenamed Demogorgon, and like the others before it, it was here to make trouble for humanity in the worst way possible.

Demogorgon’s head split open, and the beast roared, deep and rumbling the entire area like thunder, as the crew of the fishing boat attempted to scramble out of the way, the boat reacting too slowly to be of any actual help. It looked down on the boat, mandibles flared open, ready to take the ship and its crew in one gulp.

Light shone in the water, and even more waves were kicked up as something crashed through the surface, something like a foghorn blaring just as loudly as Demogorgon’s roar.

The titanic metal humanoid stood tall, turbine spinning endlessly in its chest, as it sounded the horn again. It was an intimidation thing, for Kaiju. In the early days, horns like that had proved useful in dissuading a Kaiju’s attack long enough for more Jaeger help to arrive on-scene.

Now, the Kaiju had long since grew past it. The only function it served now was just sounding cool.

Paladin Fury reached down with its enormous metal arm, picking the fishing boat up from underneath as gently as it could, which still caused significant damage and shaking around for the people inside.

The Jaeger tilted its ‘head,’ looking at the boat intently.

\-----------

 _“Vessel secure.”_ Paladin Fury’s AI reported in that same, monotone voice.

“I’ve got it!” Mike said, holding the holoring in his hand, a hologram of the ship projected inside. “But the torque’s still to high! Take it down or we’re gonna turn these guys into paste on the walls!”

“I know!” El shot back, adjusting the controls on the console. “Micromanager!”

A small meter appeared on the viewport of the conn pod, moving down. _“Torque adjusting.”_

\------------

Demogorgon raised a clawed hand, and Paladin Fury pulled the vessel towards its center of mass, taking the blow on its arm. Making use of the momentum caused by the Kaiju’s strike, the Jaeger pivoted around, dropping the vessel back in the water, on course to get away from the fight.

The people inside looked shaken up, but no worse for wear.

Demogorgon roared again, and Paladin Fury spun back around, raising a colossal metal fist. As the Jaeger stood back up, that extra power went into the fist, and it slammed directly into the bottom of the creature’s maw, the strike resulting in a thunderous echo.

Demogorgon staggered in pain, as Paladin Fury’s other fist slammed into the Kaiju’s other side. The Kaiju stood immobile, thrown off-balance by the blows, as the Jaeger raised its titanic arms above its head, bringing them down on top of the Kaiju with all the force of a collapsing building.

Demogorgon’s head was sent under the water, and it shook, like a dog as it tried to shake off the blow. It roared, and leapt out, jumping for the Jaeger’s head.

Paladin Fury brought up its arm just in time, the Kaiju’s maw clamping down and warping part of the metal.

\---------

Lights in the conn pod flashed red, warning the two pilots, as El and Mike were thrown back in their harnesses, feedback from the bite stinging both of their left arms.

With synchronized movements and angry grunts, the two pushed forward.

\----------

Paladin Fury brought up its other arm, and hit Demogorgon on the underside of its head, before pushing it away with a kick.

The Jaeger’s right hand split open, revealing a spinning mechanism inside, which began to glow and crackle with power.

\-----------

_“Plasmacaster activated.”_

“Hold it there!” Mike ordered El. “Hold it right in front of us!”

\-----------

Demogorgon was kept locked in place as three prongs on the plasmacaster radiated energy, the glow in the device rising to blinding levels.

With flashes like a bomb going off, the plasmacaster fired, blue bolts of the substance striking the Kaiju in its chest.

Demogorgon howled in agony as it stumbled back, falling into the water.

\-------------

“Sir!” Steve looked up from his console. “We’ve got plasma discharge, seven miles off the coastline!”

Hopper angrily slammed down the button. “Fury, what the hell is going on out there!?”

\---------

El grinned, holding down the button. “Mission accomplished. No need to thank us.”

 _“You disobeyed a_ direct _order!”_ Hopper angrily raised his voice in response.

“Respectfully, Hop,” Mike returned, “We did _exactly_ as we were told. We just had some fun doing it.”

Even through the comm, the two could feel the man’s anger rising. _“Get back to the Shatterdome,_ now. _We’ll talk about this later. That’s not a threat, it’s a_ promise. _”_

El rolled her eyes, cutting the link.

\----------

Steve jumped in his seat, looking at the console. “That Kaiju’s getting back up!”

Hopper almost broke the button when he pressed it back down. “Fury, get the hell out of there! That thing’s still moving! Do you hear me!? Grab that boat and get out!”

\------------

Paladin Fury searched the water, bringing its arms close to itself as it tried to search for the Kaiju. The lights hit a silhouette in the water, the figure moving quickly.

Sensing that it had been spotted, Demogorgon leapt from the water, slamming into Paladin Fury’s chest.

\-----------

“It’s too close!” El shouted, as they tried to keep the monster back. Its sudden burst of strength made throwing it off out of the question, and to remove one of the arms from the grip would be tantamount to suicide.

“You know what I think it’s time for!?” Mike questioned, grunting as he mirrored the girl’s movements.

“What!?” El looked to Mike, then she gaped. “You can’t be serious… We’ve never tried something like that! We don’t know what’ll happen!”

“If you’ve got something better, I’m all ears!”

El gritted her teeth in thought for a moment, before nodding, both pressing buttons on the control console.

_“Turbine blast activated.”_

\-----------

The turbine on the outside of Paladin Fury spun up to speeds that caused it to be heard throughout the entire area.

Nuclear fire roared from the turbine, burning directly into Demogorgon’s torso. Layers of skin, flesh, and fat were burned and boiled away as the Kaiju now tried to get away but was held in place by Paladin Fury.

With one last, agonized scream, the Kaiju flopped and fell into the water.

\-----------

The two blips on the status screen, Demogorgon’s in red, Paladin Fury’s in green, both dropped off the map on the same time.

After but a second of shock, Steve entered a mad flurry of action.

“What the hell was that?” Hopper demanded, looking over the teenage technician’s shoulders.

“They vented the reactor heat out the center turbine.” Steve answered, checking the status board. “Killed the Kaiju, but I’m not getting anything from them!” He furiously clicked the buttons and flicked switches. “Comms are down… I can’t even tell if there’s anything out there!”

“Did they…?” Hopper questioned, looking at Steve properly.

“I don’t know.” He admitted. Something on the screen flickered, grabbing his attention. “Wait…”

Paladin Fury’s status blip returned, showing the Jaeger as slightly damaged, yes, but intact.

 _“Sorry about the scare!”_ El radioed. _“We lost power for a few seconds, but we’re on backups now.”_

Hopper sighed, flopping on the table. “The Kaiju?”

 _“Dead.”_ Mike replied. _“For real, this time. If he survived that, he might go try swimming a few laps on the surface of the sun.”_

Hopper growled. “Good work. Get back here, now.” He removed his hand, turning and stepping away.

Steve glanced over his shoulder, as Paladin Fury’s blip began to move back towards the Shatterdome.

Great, they’d pissed off Hopper, and he was going to be the one to have to deal with it.

\------------

The doors to the Anchorage Shatterdome’s common area were thrown open, and the two pilots of Paladin Fury strode in pridefully.

“We came, we saw, we kicked it’s _ass!_ ” Mike pumped his fists, as the other pilots in the Shatterdome applauded their victory.

The crowd of children erupted into cheers, practically pulling the two deeper into the common area.

As the two moved, words of encouragement from all the others filled their ears, before they sat down in a seat in the corner of the room.

It didn’t take long, but eventually, one of the other pilots poked his head over their way. Dustin Henderson, half of the piloting duo for Knight Sabre, approached the other two.

Dustin was a Gen-3 pilot, like them, but he and his partner had received an updated model of Jaeger, a Mark IV, which made even Paladin Fury look like a Ford Model A compared to the latest Lamborghini.

Dustin was a bit of a nerd, truthfully speaking, which kind of endeared him to the others. Despite the constant severity of the situation, he was always the one to remember that they were supposed to be kids as well, and would go on enthusiastically about Star Wars, Star Trek, or some other Star thing that caught his fancy.

Right now, though, the object of his attention were the two pilots of Paladin Fury.

“Dude!” He excitedly hopped up and down. “Tell me it’s not true!”

Mike blinked, raising an eyebrow. “What isn’t?”

“That you guys took down a Kaiju with a goddamn _reactor blast!”_ Dustin responded.

El frowned. “How’d you hear about that so fast?”

Dustin gasped. “It _is_ true!” He turned to his side. “LUCAS!” He screamed to his partner. “Get over here, I told you it was true!”

Lucas Sinclair, the other half of Knight Sabre’s duo, walked over, with his arms crossed. “Bull _shit._ ” He called. Lucas, out of all of them, was probably the most rational one… which led to questions about why he got paired up with someone like Dustin. Rumors were circulating that Lucas’s sister could be a potential candidate for a future Pilot, but like Mike’s younger sister Holly, she was just _too_ young.

“No bullshit here.” Mike shrugged, kicking his feet up and reclining.

“Yes, bullshit here.” Lucas shot back. “A move like that is theoretical for a _reason_. It’d burn out the reactor and leave you on the back up reactor, you’d only have the power to _move_ , no weapons or anything!” The boy stated. “You’d be fresh meat for a Kaiju!”

“Well, yes, that did happen.” Mike confirmed with a nod. “But we were close enough for the blast to kill it, _and_ it was the only Kaiju out there. No problem.”

“So, wait…” Dustin looked between them. “If you burned out the Jaeger’s primary reactor, what’s happening to it?”

“They’re gonna fit it with a new one.” El answered. “No new missions for a while, though…” El thinned her lips. “That sucks.”

Mike nodded in agreement, before movement across the way caught his attention. “Who’s that?” He asked, gesturing with his head to the bowl-cut boy across the common area, looking… deeply disturbed and depressed.

“Oh, him?” Lucas asked. “That’s Will Byers.”

“Will Byers…” Mike repeated, the name sounding familiar to him. “Who’s he?”

“I got two words for you.” Dustin said. “Yukon Rogue.”

Mike inhaled and El flinched. “Oh… damn.”

Yukon Rogue was somewhat infamous among the rest of the Jaeger program. It was Canada’s latest and greatest Mark IV, stuffed to the brim with all sorts of new weapons tech and state-of-the-art systems. It was a one-Jaeger army, designed to adapt to and combat any Kaiju that came through on the fly. It was a promising project. If it had succeeded, the days of having to tailor Jaegers to specific forms of combat and weaponry would be over. The Canadians had spent so much, poured so much into its development, and put the best piloting duo they could get from their ranks in the drivers’ seats.

Then, one of the pilots had a nervous breakdown while Drifting. The weapons systems activated of their own accord and not even the other pilot could shut them off.

By the end of it all, Yukon Rogue was a smoldering heap in what remained of its launch bay, and the entirety of the Vancouver Shatterdome had been leveled. Thousands of people had worked in the shatterdome, and out of that… only about a dozen had survived.

The four watched as Will meekly grabbed something from the food dispensary, going to sit down and eat it by himself in silence.

“They brought him in while you guys were out dealing with that Kaiju.” Lucas quietly explained, standing with his arms crossed as he looked at Will. “Nobody else would take him.”

“Why not?” El inquired.

“His co-pilot died.” Dustin explained, looking to them seriously, and all four shared a sympathetic wince. After that first drift, pilots tended to experience a connection, even outside the drift. When your co-pilot died, and you were left standing… death was seen as a much kinder fate. “Not much use for him now unless they can find someone he’s compatible with.”

“Damn…” Mike muttered. “That sucks.” It was all he really could say. He didn’t know the pain, hopefully wouldn’t ever, and couldn’t even imagine it.

“Paladin Fury!” A loud, stern voice shouted through the hall.

Mike and El looked to the source, seeing Hopper standing there, looking majorly P.O’d.

Hopper looked back at them, brimming with anger. “My office. Now.”


	3. The Grill

With Mike and El sat down in the chairs in his office, Hopper angrily paced back and forth, rage radiating off him like heat.

“What…” Hopper slowly began, trying to find his words. “In the _goddamned hell_ were you thinking!?” He was an old soldier, one who’d been serving in Vietnam when the Breach opened and the Intruder made landfall. While he was in another country, fighting alongside his comrades, the Intruder killed millions back home, including his wife, and the daughter he’d never seen. After that happened, he stayed in the military, drifting from place to place, until he wound up at the PPDC

Hopper wasn’t the smartest, or the strongest, or the fastest, but he was committed when he actually set his mind to it, and a tenacious man at heart. He advanced through the Defense Corps, and after the untimely death of the last Marshal in the Yukon Rogue Disaster, found himself in charge of the program.

For better or for worse.

Mike huffed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. “I don’t know why you’re in such a big fuss. We saved the boat and killed the Kaiju, is a ‘thank you’ too much to ask?”

Hopper steeled his jaw. “Two million.” He stated. “Two _million_ lives were put at risk because of that stunt you pulled out there. What if that blast didn’t kill the Kaiju, huh?”

“But it did!” Mike retorted.

“What if it didn’t!?” Hopper furiously repeated. “You got cocky out there, and put two million lives on the line, just so you could play hero! You _know_ better than this, and I expect better out of you, El!”

The girl, sufficiently chided, looked away. “Sorry, Marshal.”

Hopper sighed, rubbing his face. “Now I’ve got a Jaeger with a burnt-out reactor that’s gonna cost millions to replace, the UN’s still breathing down my neck because of Vancouver, and they’re diverting resources to the wall.”

Mike blinked. “The Wall?” He incredulously repeated. “They’re putting materials towards _that_ thing?”

The Coastal Wall was a well known and constant source of ridicule and resentment for the Jaeger pilots. Essentially, the plan was to build an enormous wall, thick enough to stand up to a Kaiju attack, along the coastlines along the Pacific Rim. It was all theory and politics mostly, with the only construction proceeding in countries that could afford to divert the extra materials.

With the proposed material costs of the wall, they could build and maintain hundred Jaegers like Paladin Fury.

“Yeah.” Hopper confirmed. For the first time, he sounded like he agreed with whatever Mike was saying. “Fuckin’ idiots. But,” He threw up his arms, “It’s out of my hands. So, here’s what _I_ need you to do.” He leaned seriously on his desk. “The powers that be are going to be looking for any excuse they can get to cut off our funding and put it to the Wall. From now on, no more unnecessary risks. Only stupid people take unnecessary risks, and what are we?”

“Not stupid.” El and Mike chorused together, echoing the statement that had been drilled into them a hundred times over.

Hopper gave a satisfactory nod. “Right.” He checked his watch, then to the digital clock on the wall. “It’ll be a while before Fury’s back up to working order, so until then, you two are on the bench.”

El uncrossed her arms and looked about as offended as physically possible. _“What!?”_

“You can’t do that!” Mike replied.

“The reactor’s _gone_ , dip-ass.” Hopper shot back. “Unless you’re going to kill a Kaiju by leisurely walking up to it and giving it a light tickle under the jaw, you’re not going to be able to do shit.”

“Well…” El blinked, searching. “What are we supposed to do until then?”

“Train, eat, sleep, I don’t give a _damn_.” Hopper answered. “Also, consider this your punishment. For violating orders.”

El nodded in resignation. “Yes, sir.”

Mike huffed, crossing his arms. “This is bullshit.”

“Hey,” Hopper sternly stared down Mike, leaning on his desk. “You knowingly break the rules, you be prepared for the consequences. Now, get.” He waved to the door, standing tall. “I’ve got too much shit to do and not enough time to do it.”

Mike shook his head, standing up in a huff and storming out, as El calmly followed.

Hopper sighed, rubbing his face.

“This program’s gonna be the death of me.”

\------------

“I can’t believe this!” Mike paced back and forth angrily in their quarters. “We were heroes out there, god damn heroes, and this is how we’re treated!”

El lounged on the sofa, arm on the back cushions, as she watched the television. “You have to admit, he _does_ have a point.” She replied, watching the antics of Inspector Gadget. “The people in charge don’t care about the lives on the line, they care about the money.”

“It’s bullshit!” Mike stated, throwing his hands up.

“Mike,” El addressed, glaring. “Sit down. Calm down. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Mike huffed, slamming down on the couch and crossing his arm. “This shit sucks.” His leg bounced up and down impatiently, before he shot to his feet. “Nope, can’t do it!”

“Where’re you going!?” El called as he stormed out.

“To find _something_ to do!”

\------------

After the mission was completed, most personnel in the ops center overlooking Paladin Fury’s launch bay cleared out, save for one.

Steve Harrington was the last to go. Always the last, and the one to hold down the fort whether he liked it or not. While the others got to go home and sleep in nice warm beds, he got the… _great_ honor of having to come back to ops every day to supervise the repair crews.

He wasn’t the only one, of course. Every Jaeger bay had its own corresponding ops center, and in between Kaiju incursions, there was always one shmuck left to sit on his ass, watching the sensors for Kaiju activity.

Steve arguably hated that job the most, because while others were content to sit on their asses doing nothing and getting paid for it, Steve had been a Jaeger pilot in the past, he didn’t like lulls like this. His parents hadn’t even considered that being a pilot could be something he didn’t want. All his father heard were the words ‘great honor’ and that was it, away with him.

They could get stepped on by a Kaiju as far as he was concerned. They’d signed his life away without a second thought. Then again… he was kind of grateful, in a way. Being part of the PPDC was something that he actually enjoyed. He felt like he had purpose, something to live for. It wasn’t just part of his life now, it _was_ his life.

The tattoos on his arms were proof enough of that, at least. On his right was a Kaiju, rather like a Komodo dragon crossed with a crocodile and shrouded in dark, shadowy flame. His first kill. On his other arm was his old Jaeger, Sentinel Alpha, a big, hulking Mark II that looked short and stocky but packed one hell of a wallop.

It wasn’t just his Jaeger; it was his best friend in a way. His security blanket. Then, one last fight had done it in. Gojira, a Kaiju they were hopelessly unprepared for, had struck the killing blow. They managed to take the Kaiju down in the end, but his co-pilot died in the med bay, and since then, they hadn’t been able to find another person who was drift compatible with Steve. So, it was either be put to work on the wall, or in the command center where he could at least look at a Jaeger if not control one.

Didn’t take a genius to find out which choice he made.

 _“…Steve?”_ A voice crackled over the comm. _“Steve… Steve. Hey, dingus!”_

Steve jumped, snapping out of his thoughts, as he held the button to respond. “Sorry, sorry, just… contemplating. What’s up, Robin?”

Robin was one of the Lost, as they were called. Young people whose parents were lost in Kaiju attacks. While most went into the adoption system, some were taken in by the PPDC, and offered housing and food in exchange for work. Robin was one who’d came in recently after a Kaiju attack left her parents in the heart of a collapsing city while she got to a Kaiju shelter.

Most others were in awe at the sight of Steve, a Pilot, someone who they doubtlessly owed their lives to. Robin, however, was not so impressed, and made it clear that while Steve had done things beyond any normal human, he was still an idiot that used suspenders instead of a belt.

Suspenders were comfier, sue him. Easier to deal with too. All he had to do in an emergency was put them on the pants he planned to wear that day and if he had to get up quick, all he had to do was slip the straps over his shoulders and he was done.

Work smarter, not harder, that was his motto.

 _“We’re starting to run out of hex bolts down here.”_ Robin reported.

Steve let out a frustrated sigh. “Leave it to the grease monkeys not to take proper stock _before_ they start…” He shook his head. “What size?” He exasperatedly asked, having been through this song and dance a dozen times before.

_“Four-inch wide, eight inches long.”_

He huffed quietly, typing the requisition order into the terminal. “I got something eight inches long right here…” He muttered.

_“You say something?”_

“Nothing.” Steve shook his head. “Bad joke. Alright, it’s done.”

_“Well, don’t sound too excited. Thanks.”_

Steve flopped back in his chair, throwing a rubber ball at the wall and catching it over and over. “You’re welcome. I just love being the gopher.”

He could hear Robin’s impertinent huff as the link cut out, and he went back to his ‘work.’ He glanced at the map, wondering to himself. Another Kaiju taken down… hopefully, the eggheads could get something useful from it.

\-----------

Deep in the Anchorage Shatterdome, cordoned off from any prying eyes or any other undesirable influences, there was a small lab, the local headquarters for the PPDC’s Scientific Analysis Division.

It was, in labs like that, where most of the advancements of the Jaeger program were made. Several chambers held prototype weaponry, defensive systems, and a whole host of experimental technologies.

In one such chamber, there laid a piece of Demogorgon’s corpse, suspended in an ammonia tank. Kaiju biology decomposed extremely fast in the open air, meaning people had to get on site quickly, and seal the parts away. Water slowed the decomposition some, but an ammonia solution perfectly preserved the recovered parts, allowing the scientists to run their tests.

One man, an older fellow, in a hazmat suit, stood in the room with his underlings, watching with crossed arms as the tests proceeded.

“Doctor Owens,” A scientist showed up by his side, handing him a clipboard. “The test results you requested.”

“Very good, thank you.” Owens took the board, examining the data on it. When the PPDC started up, they needed every scientist they could get their hands on to assist in the fight. While he wasn’t particularly high up or influential in the government at first, Owens had made a name for himself and had earned his place as Chief Scientific Advisor.

For he was the one who came up with the idea of Neural Bridge technology. It was thanks to him that the Jaegers were possible to be piloted at all. The world owed a great deal to him… even if he had some shady dealings along the way.

Owens’s brow furrowed as he looked at the test results.

The readouts showed an outer skin tensile strength _sixteen_ times stronger than the last Kaiju that had emerged from the breach. This was concerning… most concerning indeed.

The Kaiju weren’t just getting stronger, they were getting stronger between individual Category Levels. A CAT3 with the outer strength of a CAT4 could only mean one thing.

The Kaiju were adapting.

And without an idea of how far those adaptations go…

It could mean that, very soon, humanity’s weapons, even the Jaegers, would be useless.


	4. Knight Sabre VS Leadfoot

Striding purposefully through the common area, Mike dodged and weaved effortlessly through the crowds of other pilots going about their business. Stopping, his eyes fell on the new arrival, still at the table by himself.

Will was somebody new. And somebody new meant new stimulus. So, disregarding everything else, Mike walked over, and flopped down in the seat across from him.

Will looked up from his book for just a moment, keeping quiet, before he looked back down at it.

“Uh, hi.” Mike began, not sure how to grab the other boy’s attention without being rude. “I’m Mike.”

“Will.” The boy replied, turning a page.

Mike blinked. “Um… whatcha got there?”

Will didn’t even spare Mike the courtesy of a glance. “A book.”

“Yeah, a book, okay.” He nodded. “What book is it?”

“My book.”

Mike scowled. “Jeez, would it kill you to liven up a little?”

Will looked up, fire in his eyes. “I’m mourning, asshole. Show a little tact.” He pushed himself up, and walked away, disappearing into the corridors of the Shatterdome.

“Aw, hell.” Mike cursed. “I’ve gone and made an ass of myself, haven’t I?”

\-------------

The worst thing about being a Jaeger pilot, by any metric, was the wait in between attacks. It was a constant state of fear, wondering what the next Kaiju’s capabilities would be, and boredom, the only thing to do being train and prepare.

And then, the attacks hit, and everything went through the roof.

Six weeks had passed since Demogorgon’s attack, though the Shatterdome was constantly kept on a state of alert.

Then, the day came, the alarms sounded, and everyone knew what would happen.

 _“Activity in the breach.”_ The Shatterdome AI announced over the PA. _“Pilots Sinclair and Henderson, prep for deployment.”_

Lucas sighed, getting to his feet from where he was playing a game of cards with a few of the other pilot duos, and started walking. He had to practically drag Dustin away from the poor girl he was very thinly veiled flirting with, across the facility to the drivesuit room.

“I can’t believe you, dude!” Dustin stated. “I had that one in the bag!”

“A Kaiju is attacking, and you’re worried about _flirting_?” Lucas huffed, as the technicians helped the two suit up.

“Can’t do it when I’m dead.” Dustin defended, as they walked into the conn pod of their Jaeger.

The two pilots stepped into their harnesses and prepped for the drop.

 _“Check, check, mic check, are you receiving me, over?”_ Steve’s voice filled the air, causing the two to frown in confusion.

“Harrington?” Lucas confusedly radioed back. “You’re not our handler. Where’s Nancy?”

 _“Got put in the med-bay with food poisoning.”_ Steve nonchalantly answered. _“’Fraid I’ll have to do for now.”_

“Great, that’s…” Dustin let out a sigh that implied he thought it was anything but. “Great.”

 _“Aw, don’t sound so down, Henderson. I’m much more fun than Nancy is.”_ Steve replied. _“Now, get ready to drop.”_

The two braced themselves as the conn pod dropped, coming to a sudden stop.

\------------

From inside Knight Sabre’s operations center, Steve watched as the Conn pod was screwed into place. As opposed to the sleek, almost feminine curves of Paladin Fury, Knight Sabre was slightly shorter, far bulkier and much blockier and more angular, with what could only be described as hot rod fins poking out of its back.

A light on the panel flashed, and Steve began typing commands into the keyboard. “Coupling confirmed. Engaging startup sequence.”

The lights on the outside of the Jaeger activated, the platform supporting the enormous robot beginning to roll out into the ocean.

“Neural handshake activating in three… two… one…” Steve counted down, turning a dial on the panel all the way up.

\------------

Dustin and Lucas staggered, hit with a blow to their minds, before they leveled out.

 _“Right hemisphere calibrated.”_ Knight Sabre’s AI, with a voice deeper and more guttural than Paladin Fury’s AI, reported. _“Left hemisphere calibrated.”_

“Knight Sabre ready.” Lucas reported.

 _“Alright you guys, here’s the skinny.”_ Steve began, as a fleet of helicopters, specially designed for lifting and transporting Jaegers, formed up around Knight Sabre, attaching to the surfaces of the metal behemoth with high-strength cables. _“We’ve got a CAT4 fresh from the Breach on a beeline for Los Angeles, codename’s Leadfoot. Civilians have been moved to safety, but the Marshal wants the property damage to be on the down-low, got it?”_

“Loud and clear.” Dustin stated.

 _“Then you’re good to go.”_ Steve replied. _“Transports, you’re cleared to move.”_

The helicopter blades whirred, sounding strained just a little, as Knight Sabre was lifted out of the water, being carried far down the coastline.

\------------

Leadfoot stomped, crushing seabed under its colossal footsteps. It was vaguely primate-like, like an ape, but was covered in scales, possessing an iguana-like head and a tail. It was so named because, out of all the Kaiju they’d encountered, it was by far the heaviest humanity had ever seen.

The Kaiju climbed out of the water, slamming its hand into the concrete of a port, breaking through like it was peanut brittle. The enormous creature roared, spines shaking from the force, letting the humans in the city know that their lives were over.

A loud horn blared from behind, and the creature turned around.

Knight Sabre dropped as the cables tethering it to the helicopters were released. When it made splashdown, thousands of tons of water were kicked up, temporarily blinding the Kaiju.

The creature screeched in rage, charging the Jaeger.

\------------

“Okay, I think that just pissed him off!” Dustin yelped, sidestepping as Leadfoot jumped in the air towards them.

\----------

Knight Sabre brought its arms up like a boxer, ducking out of the way as the Kaiju splashed back into the water. As the alien tried to get back up, the Jaeger slammed its fist into the side of the Kaiju’s head.

Leadfoot roared, bringing its tail around to bear, thwacking Knight Sabre in its mechanical shin, sending it down into the water.

The creature’s maw opened, and it screeched, going to plunge in after the hulking robot.

\--------

“Wrist rocket!” Lucas shouted in a manic panic. “Wrist rocket!” He repeated, bringing up his right arm.

_“Wrist rocket, engaged.”_

\-----------

Two panels on the forearm of Knight Sabre split open, a missile in a cradle sliding out. Just as Leadfoot was about to make impact, the missile fired, going straight down the Kaiju’s jaw.

Leadfoot howled, staggering off, as the Jaeger righted itself, standing tall above the water.

The creature shook off its disorientation, glaring at the mech.

\----------

“Uh… did that thing just swallow a fucking missile and _live_?” Dustin gulped.

\--------

Leadfoot, in a show of dominance, pounded its chest, before charging again.

Reacting quickly, the two pilots in charge of the Jaeger, glad they had their back to the dock, reached to the Jaeger’s side, grabbing a cargo hauler from the port.

Raising the ship into the air, Knight Sabre brought the vessel down like a club, causing the ship to break in half.

Leadfoot fell into the water, but still moved.

\----------

“Its skin is too tough!” Lucas stated. “We have to find some way to break it!”

“What about those spines!?” Dustin suggested, pointing to the spikes sticking out.

“What good are those going to do!?”

“We break one off and use it to break through the skin!” Dustin explained. “Like a steel arrowhead hitting steel!”

“That’s not how it works!”

“If you’re going to shoot my ideas down, at least give me some of your own!”

Lucas kept quiet for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, okay.”

\------------

Knight Sabre reached onto the dock, ripping one of the cranes out of the ground, grabbing it by the arm.

The metal titan swung, bringing it down on Leadfoot, the Kaiju still trying to get back on its feet. Leadfoot was sent back down, and Knight Sabre planted its foot on the head, trying to keep the beast immobile.

The Jaeger pulled one of the spines, the biggest it could find, back, Leadfoot howling in pain.

\----------

Lucas and Dustin strained under the force. “Keep going!”

\---------

With a wet, fleshy crunch, the spine broke off, the Jaeger clutching it like a dagger.

Leadfoot kicked and squirmed, sensing what was about to happen. It was all for naught as Knight Sabre plunged the spine deep into the Kaiju’s head, black blood being sent scattering in the air, as Leadfoot’s movements finally ceased.

 _“Kaiju signature dropping.”_ Steve happily reported. _“Great job, you two.”_

Knight Sabre stood tall over the alien corpse, cracking its mechanical knuckles. The Jaeger blared its horn triumphantly, like a wrestler screaming after defeating his opponent.

That was one more notch on the belt for Knight Sabre.

\-----------

“…And _that,_ my friends, is how you take down a Kaiju!” Dustin proclaimed, he and Lucas owning the floor in the common area, just like the two pilots of Paladin Fury had when they took down Demogorgon.

It was a common post-mission ritual, for every pilot. Go to the common area, proclaim how awesome you were, and enjoy the resultant attention on you for the next couple of hours.

“I’m telling you guys, the thing was _huge_!” Dustin punctuated by gesturing out with his arms. “We had to beat the crap out of it with an oil tanker just to get it down! Five hits!”

“Bull shit.” Troy huffed, crossing his arms. “A ship like that would break on the first hit.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that while we were out kickin’ ass, you were sitting on your coattails sippin’ margaritas!” Lucas retorted. “How long’s it been since you guys have been on a mission? Six? Seven months?”

Troy threw up his hand in the forget you gesture, storming off.

“Hey, man, check it out…” Dustin looked across the way, to the oldest in the room going to go get something to eat.

“Nancy.” Lucas recognized. “They must’ve let her out of the medbay.”

“Help me out here.” Dustin tried to push back his curly hair, to no success. Didn’t help he was wearing a baseball cap. “How do I look?”

“Like someone took the soft part of Velcro and glued it to your head.” Lucas fired back.

“Hey,” Dustin pointed, “Don’t hate me cause you ain’t me. Wish me luck.” He tugged an invisible bow tie, and walked over to Nancy, as Lucas shook his head. “Hey, Nanc-“

“Can’t talk right now.” The older teenager fired back in response, moving to exit the room with her food in a disposable tray. “Work to do.”

“Great, that’s good!” Dustin smiled. “Catch you on the flipside, home girl!” He snapped his fingers and pointed.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Lucas questioned.

“Rule one for wooing women: Act cool.” Dustin answered.

“Right. _So what the fuck are you doing_?”

“U-Um…” A shy voice spoke up from behind. Suzie, one half of the piloting duo for Panther Obsidian, had walked over. “You don’t need to act cool… I think you’re pretty nice already.”

“Not now, Suzie.” Dustin tugged his jacket. “I’ve gotta step my game. I’ve got shit to do!”

Lucas sighed, shaking his head, shooting Suzie a sympathetic look.

Dustin could be so oblivious sometimes.

\-----------

Will was sitting down, still reading, when something blocked his light. He looked up, seeing an outstretched hand holding a can of Coke.

And attached to the hand, was Mike.

“Great, it’s you.” Will moved to push himself up.

“Wait.” Mike requested. “I came to apologize. I heard about the Disaster, but I wasn’t thinking. My brain gets ahead of itself sometimes. I’d like to start again, if that’s okay.”

Will creased the page of his book, closing it, and nodding. Mike sat the Coke down in front of Will, sitting across.

“I’m Mike Wheeler,” Mike gestured to himself. “One half of Paladin Fury.” He held out his hand.

Will thinned his lips. “Will Byers, Gipsy Danger.” He shook Mike’s hand politely.

“Dude, no way…” Mike grinned. “That’s like… the _best_ Jaeger name I’ve ever heard! What type is it!?”

“She.” Will corrected. “A Mark III Jaeger. Forty diesel engines per muscle strand, solid iron armor, full analogue movement controls…” He smiled fondly in reminiscence. “She’s actually the sister Jaeger of yours, I think.”

Mike tilted his head. “You’ve heard of Paladin Fury?”

“I mean, yeah.” Will replied like it was obvious. “You and your co-pilot are _famous._ You two are the ones with the highest drift compatibility rating in the _entire_ Program. _Ninety-seven percent!_ Not even me and my partner got a percentage like that! We topped out at ninety-one, and that was on a good day.”

“Your partner?” Mike repeated.

“Yeah, my sis-“ Will seemed to realize what he was saying and deflated slightly. “My sister…”

“Ah, hell.” Mike cursed. “I’m sorry, did I go too far?”

“No, no…” Will swallowed, wiping away a tear before Mike could spot it. “It’s not like you knew.” He sighed. “Yeah, we were twins.”

Mike nodded in understanding. Drift compatibility, if it existed at all, tended to be much, much higher between family members. Especially if they were the same age. Family piloting teams were rare, but of the ones that existed, they tended to be the best of the Jaeger Program.

“I’m sorry.” Mike sympathized.

“I’m working through it…” Will muttered, as though he could take on the world by himself.

“So, what happened to your Jaeger?” Mike questioned. Jaegers, in theory, could be transferred from pilot to pilot, but there was something about the drift…

Some Jaegers were said to have wills of their own. And they did _not_ like being put in the control of other people.

“They’re stripping her for spare parts.” Will mournfully answered. “Armor plating, weapons, all of it. I think you guys got her reactor. Least I know there’s one part in good hands.”

Mike offered Will a sad, sympathetic smile, holding up his own Coke. “To Gipsy Danger. May she rest in peace.”

Will nodded, and picked up the can Mike had given him, cracking it open, before taking it down.

“So, what about you?” Mike continued. “You’ve been here a while, but I don’t really see you talking to the other pilots.”

“The Marshal’s got me working on support.” Will answered. “I’m… well, I’m really just a glorified secretary now. Other than that, I’m a quiet person.”

“Say…” Mike began. “El and I are gonna have pizza for dinner tonight. You wanna come to our quarters, hang out?”

“I couldn’t-“

“It’s not a problem, really.” Mike said. Besides, Will looked like he could use some friends.

The boy slowly nodded, considering it. “Okay… Yeah, okay.”

“Great!” Mike smiled, getting up. “Come by whenever you want, we’ll watch Star Wars or something.”

Will blinked as Mike enthusiastically ran off.

Will shrunk down, submerging himself in his book. “Quiet, you.” He muttered. “…I like pizza, you know this… It’s _Star Wars_ , how am I _not_ gonna watch it?”


	5. Dinnertime in the Shatterdome

Will, admittedly, was quite socially… he didn’t want to say awkward, but he didn’t feel comfortable talking to new people, or doing things with them. In a way, that set him apart from the other pilots, who were usually all very outgoing and social butterflies. Though, in truth, he hadn’t ever _needed_ to be social. He and his sister always took care of that for each other.

But now, she was gone… he had to find someone else to socialize with.

So, even though he rather wouldn’t, Will found himself following through on his agreement with Mike, and walked through the corridors of the Shatterdome. The facility had sections, that mainly consisted of the pilots quarters, the drivesuit room, and the conn pod holding, that were all connected so that, if a Kaiju attacked at night, the pilots could get into action quickly.

He lived in a section of the Vancouver Shatterdome like that once… It made his heart ache, walking back through this one now. But… it was gone now. Lost in the fiery hurricane caused by Yukon Rogue.

“Alright…” Will mumbled, as he found himself standing in front of the door. “Keep it down… I have to concentrate.” He pressed the button on the side, ringing the door chime.

“Come in!” A girl called, as the door opened by itself.

Will stepped in, and fought back a shudder. It was warm in there. He preferred it cold.

“Hey, you’re Will, right?” The girl walked over, smiling politely. “I’m El.” She held out her hand.

Will shook it. “Yeah, Will, that’s me… El, you’re Mike’s partner?”

“Yep.” The girl confirmed with a happy smile and a quick nod. “The other half of Paladin Fury, that’s me.”

“Cool.” Will awkwardly nodded. “Where’s Mike?”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear!” Mike proclaimed, walking in. Three boxes of pizza were stacked in his hands, balanced precariously. “I got sausage, pepperoni, and cheese. I didn’t know what kind of pizza you ate, Will, so I just grabbed what I thought would be good.”

“Cheese is good, thanks…” Will self-consciously shifted.

“Oh, oh!” El jumped excitedly, pointing at the TV. “ _Doctor Who_ is on!”

Mike’s eyes widened, and he scrambled to sit the boxes down, running to slam down on the couch. “Oh, oh, I can’t miss this!”

Will blinked, looking between the two. “Doctor Who? What is that?”

El took in a horrified breath. “You’ve never seen Doctor Who!?”

Will shook his head.

“It’s about this guy from another planet who travels in space and time with regular humans,” Mike began excitedly, “Fixing problems all over the universe when he finds them. Every once in a while they recast the main actor and write an episode to explain why, and this is the last part of Peter Davison’s final story!”

“We have to see how it happens!” El babbled. “If we miss it, who knows how long it’ll be before we get another chance to watch it!?”

Will blinked but felt slightly comforted.

These two were nerdy and not ashamed to hide it. They were certainly his kind of people.

\-----------

“So,” Mike asked, taking a bite of pizza, Doctor Who having long since gone off, “How’d you get into the program?”

Will shrugged, folding his slice of cheese into a taco formation. “Same way as everybody else, I guess. My sister and I were tagged as drift compatible and the rest is history.”

“But how did you get _in_?” El asked, tilting her head, picking up on the nuance of Mike’s question. “Why’d your parents let you be pilots?”

“Oh, that…” Will sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “My dad was a bit of a jerkass. Mom was planning to leave him, but she wasn’t going to let us stay there with him cause my older brother, Jonathan, he was too young to work, so mom was just going to wait it out. Then the recruiters came to the door and told her that if she went with them, all of us would be provided for, the only thing she had to do was help out around the Shatterdome.”

Mike nodded in understanding. “What did she end up doing?”

“She went to work as a nurse in the medical bay.” Will recalled with a smile. “She could’ve been a doctor with how many people she helped patch up, but she preferred the more human side of things.”

El smiled as well. “She sounds so sweet.”

“Yeah…” Will agreed. “She was. How’d you guys get in?” He asked, looking to the others.

“Well, my parents had given my sister Nancy over a while ago.” Mike explained. “They ran a compatibility test on me and figured I’d be a pretty good pilot. Took some convincing after that, but that’s the long and short of it.”

Will nodded, and glanced at El. “You?”

The girl sheepishly shrugged. “I’ve just… _always_ been here.”

Will tilted his head. “Huh?”

El shifted. “The first Kaiju came through in… ’75, right? I was only four back then. My… papa, he was the one who came up with the drift tech for the Jaegers in the first place.”

Will straightened up, looking intrigued. “Doctor Brenner was your father?”

El nodded. “Yep. So, when they figured out only kids could be pilots, I was one of the first put up for consideration.”

“Wow…” Will breathed. “But you’re only, what, thirteen? No way you were piloting Jaegers that young.”

“I wasn’t.” El admitted. “But I was training for a long, long time. Then they found out I synchronized almost perfectly with Mike, they paired us together, and the rest is history.”

“Yeah.” Mike smiled. “History.”

\-----------

The conversation went on into the night, the three eating themselves sick with pizza as they watched the TV. Before long, however, it was Will’s own decided on time to leave.

“I’ve gotta go, you guys.” He said on his way out. “This was fun though.” And Will found himself making more mental plans to visit again.

Walking back through the Shatterdome, he took the lift to the top level of the facility, walking to a door at the end of the hall.

Hopper’s quarters had, originally, been meant only for the man himself. But when he took Will in, the nature of their predicament had necessitated clearing out the room that was supposed to be Hopper’s closet, turning it into an extra bedroom.

Will walked in, closing the door, and turning on the lights.

Hopper was there, sitting on the couch.

“Where’ve you been?” Hopper quietly pressed, looking none too pleased.

“I told you.” Will replied. “Mike and El wanted to have me over for dinner.”

“I know that.” The man shot back. “I was talking about how it’s one in the morning.”

“Is it?” Will looked to the clock. “Oh… hell. I’m sorry, Hopper. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not.” Hopper got to his feet, walking over, bending down to Will’s level. “I took a big risk taking you in. If you start going around making buddies, people are going to start seeing the cracks.”

“We know.” Will hissed. “You don’t have to tell us that every time.”

Hopper tilted his head. Not inquisitively, like he wasn’t expecting it, but quite the opposite, in a reprimanding manner. “Us?”

Will took a breath. “Sorry. Me.”

Hopper nodded, standing tall, before turning to go to his bedroom. “Get to sleep.” He ordered. “You’ve got more training to do tomorrow.”

“I’m not a pilot anymore.” Will replied. “I don’t need training.”

“I was talking about job training.” Hopper fired back, closing the door.

Will sighed and went to his space, flopping on the mattress inside.

Even though Will went to sleep that night, something else remained awake in his mind.


End file.
